In my last post I mentioned the damage to the PathLight facility in Belize. I arrived in Belize yesterday and have walked the property, talked with our directors, and discussed options with our maintenance supervisor. It’s not a pretty picture. Hurricane Richard left a wake of damage to the surrounding countryside that defies description.
The PathLight facility took a direct hit. Of the fourteen buildings on the facility, twelve have damage. One is essentially ruined, though we might be able to salvage parts of the building. This particular building (cabana #6 to those of you who have been here) had a 100′ tall tree land on the backside. The tree crushed that side of the building like it was built of matchsticks.
Another building (cabana #8) has a 15′ long, 8″ diameter tree limb laying on the floor. It was snapped off a tree from about 40′ high and came crashing through the roof like a missile. You can even see the hole where it came through. Thankfully, nobody was in the building or they would have been terrified!
The boardwalks have significant damage everywhere. Railings and walkways need to be redone. Our maintenance supervisor, Tono, said that he couldn’t even see the boardwalk after the hurricane because it was covered in debris.
The hillsides around the property are a sad sight to see. I told Mark Parcher, our director, that it looks like God did some weeding and forgot to pick it all up. Huge trees have been snapped in two so they now look like giant poles sticking out of the ground. Others have been uprooted and crashed upon other trees, thus knocking them down. It’s quite a sight … and more than a bit scary.
In the midst of all this, there is much to be thankful for. Nobody was hurt. The PathLight students are all safe and fine. The main Lodge was unharmed; the wind swirled in such a way that all the trees fell away from the Lodge! All of the solar panels are intact and the radio tower is fine. Water damage is minimal. So it could have been much worse.
But even though it could be worse, the damage is still significant. It’s going to cost about $50,000 to make all the repairs. About half of that is for cabana #6, which needs to be completely rebuilt. Roof repairs and the boardwalks are another $20,000 or so, with the rest going toward cutting and removing all the debris.
And here’s the thing: we need to get these repairs done fast. It’s the slow season right now, but starting in late January there are dozens of groups who will start arriving at the facility. We must get the repairs done by then or the mission of the organization will be harmed.
With that in mind, I want you to consider making a donation. I don’t often do this on my blog (raise money, that is). But then again, I don’t often have a category one hurricane sweep across our facility! This is a unique moment and we need your help to persevere.
If you could go to the PathLight donation page by clicking this link, and then use your credit card or PayPal to make a donation, your gift would be greatly appreciated. You can earmark it for the PathLight Belize or as “Where Needed Most” and we’ll know your intentions.
Thank you for helping! It makes all the difference!
Mark Parcher inspected some of the damage to a cabana.
One of the trees that fell on the boardwalk.